ACLU challenges Minnesota voter ID ballot initiative

[JURIST] The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota (ACLU-MN) [official website] on Wednesday filed a petition [press release] seeking to eliminate a proposed ballot initiative [text] that would amend the Minnesota Constitution [text] to require citizens to present photo identification in order to vote. If allowed to proceed, the initiative will appear on the ballot in the upcoming November election. In a statement, Executive Director of the ACLU-MN Charles Samuelson said the initiative did not adequately inform voters of the effects of the amendment:

This ballot proposal is incredibly troubling because it asks voters to put an amendment in the constitution in a manner that is misleading, confusing and unclear. Voting is one of the most important rights we have, and this amendment aims to take away that right from the most vulnerable, under the guise of a seemingly innocuous photo ID requirement.

The petition was filed on behalf of five individuals as well as the League of Women Voters Minnesota, Jewish Community Action and Common Cause Minnesota.

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